Third Shot at The Title: PSG Kicks Off Its European Champions League Campaign
There was a time when the main question on Paris Saint-Germain fans' minds about the European Champions League was: "When will the club finally win this tournament?" Now that question sounds very different, as Les Rouge-et-Bleu have won the European title twice in a row and are starting a new campaign with the chance to join the few clubs that have won the tournament three seasons in a row. From painful lessons of the past to historical dominance PSG's journey to the pinnacle of European football was anything but quick.
For years, the club searched for the right formula, experimented with star-studded squads and endured painful exits in the knockout stages. Les Rouge-et-Bleu reached the final for the first time in 2020, only to lose 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
The turning point came in the 2024/25 season, when Les Parisiens silenced their critics, confidently overcame their knockout-stage opponents and produced a stunning final against Inter Milan. Their 5-0 victory set a CL final record for the largest winning margin in the competition's history.
It was more than just the long-awaited first trophy; it was a bold statement that a new era in European football had begun. However, true class is not measured by a team's ability to reach the top, but by its ability to stay there, and the 2025/26 season showed that PSG's success was not a one-time achievement.
The French side's latest European campaign proved to be a serious test, as befits the reigning champions. On its way to the final, PSG successively defeated Monaco, Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.
The final on May 30, 2026, delivered a dramatic climax. In the clash with Arsenal, both regular and extra time ended 1-1, before Les Parisiens prevailed in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout, thanks to their composure and a touch of luck.
The result: the Big Ears Cup was lifted above the heads of Luis Enrique and his players for the second time. PSG became the first French club to win the CL twice and only the second team in the modern era to defend the title, after Real Madrid, which won it three times in a row.
Looking ahead to a new European campaign The European Champions League Matchday 1 clash with Slovan Bratislava showed exactly what kind of form the reigning champions are in as they embark on a new campaign. At the Parc des Princes, Les Parisiens cruised to a 6-1 victory, with a hat-trick from Torres, a brace from Dembélé and a goal from Fabián Ruiz.
The Slovak side's heavy defeat was merely a promising prologue to the big start of the season as a whole. The group-stage draw has handed the French giant a series of high-profile clashes against Manchester City, Barcelona, Aston Villa, Roma and Como 1907.